Jewish Man Arrested In Yemen Due To ‘Smuggled’ Torah Scroll

Ynet news reports: Among the people arrested by the Houthis in Yemen following the “smuggling” of a 600-year-old Torah scroll by the 17 Jews who were brought to Israel in a secret operation on Monday was a member of the Jewish community who remained in the country, British weekly The Jewish Chronicle reported.

The Houthi rebels launched an investigation and made arrests following what they considered to be the smuggling of the ancient Torah scroll, which they view as “the property of the Yemeni people.”

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Photos of the new arrivals with the Torah scroll caused an uproar in Arabic-language media and enraged the Houthis, who have been in control of the capital Sana’a for over a year now. Moreover, it seems that among those arrested was a senior official of Sana’a’s airport.

Senior officials of The Ministry of Immigrant Absorption strongly criticized the Jewish Agency on Friday, claiming that the publication of the operation damaged efforts to increase similar efforts in other dangerous areas of the world in the future. “The publication endangers Jews remaining in Yemen and those involved in the matter,” they stated.